Period:

First World War (1914-1918)

Awarded on:

November 2nd, 1916

Period:

First World War (1914-1918)

Awarded on:

April 13th, 1918

Period:

First World War (1914-1918)

Awarded on:

1918

Awarded on:

1919

Awarded on:

1919

Period:

First World War (1914-1918)

Awarded on:

1934

Awarded on:

October 2nd, 1936

Awarded on:

October 2nd, 1936

Awarded on:

October 2nd, 1936

Awarded on:

October 2nd, 1936

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Awarded on:

1940

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Awarded on:

1940

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Awarded on:

August 1942

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Awarded on:

August 19th, 1942

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

Generalmajor (Air Commodore)

Unit:

Kommandeur, 9. Flak-Division, Luftwaffe

Awarded on:

December 7th, 1942

Award 1/142.

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

Generalmajor (Air Commodore)

Unit:

Kommandeur, 9. Flak-Division, Luftwaffe

Awarded on:

January 11th, 1943

Pickert’s Knight’s Cross recommendation reads as follows…

“Generalmajor Pickert has repeatedly distinguished himself through both his personal readiness for duty and his superior leadership ever since he was appointed commander of the 9. Flak-Division (mot) on the 29.06.1942.

Because of his impressive leadership the formations of the 9. Flak-Division (mot) have been able to decisively support the friendly Armeen they have worked together with in both offense and defense.

On the 29.06.1942 the 9. Flak-Division (mot) assembled its forces in the Woltschansk area in order to cover the assembly area of the 6. Armee and subsequently support the offensive operation. Generalmajor Pickert organized the points of concentration for friendly Flak units, and the result was that the strong enemy air attacks against the assembly area of the 6. Armee were fended off. Particularly successful was his deployment of units for the air defense of the key supply hub of Woltschansk. When the 6. Armee moved out on the 30.06.1942 to secure the Oskol river the 9. Flak-Division (mot) supported the attack by attaching a Regiment to both the XXXVIII. Pz.K. and the VIII. A.K. The good forward progress of the attack by the VIII. A.K. in particular was in no small part thanks to the effective support that the attached Flak Artillerie provided to the infantry.

In the fighting which followed both light and heavy Flak forces of the 9. Flak-Division (mot) were distributed amongst the forward elements of the Heer by Generalmajor Pickert, and these played a major role in both the establishment of a bridgehead across the Oskol river as well as the subsequent capture of Nowij Oskol. The friendly advance near Oljchowatka—Rossosch up to Aidar and the Bogutschar river succeeded, and this suggested that a swift thrust towards the south would also bring about desirable results. Generalmajor Pickert thus suggested that the 9. Flak-Division (mot) be sent to help the newly established 4. Pz.Armee, and this was taken up.

As the 4. Pz.Armee advanced towards the south, Generalmajor Pickert organized a disposition in depth for his Flak forces in order to protect the conquered roads. This resulted in notable successes. Particularly worthy of note was when friendly Flak forces (namely the lei.77) managed to prevent the breakout of overwhelming enemy forces from the pocket west of Millerowo on the 19.07.1942. Later (and despite the presence of a chronic fuel shortage) Generalmajor Pickert managed to successfully bring up Flak forces to cover the establishment of bridgeheads across the Don at Zymljanskaja and Nikolajewskaja on the 20.07.1942. Generalmajor Pickert personally intervened during this combat in the Don area, and his establishment of effective points of concentration for his forces ensured that sufficient air defense was available for the crossing of the river.

Generalmajor Pickert swiftly ordered his Flak forces to cross over to the southern bank of the Don in order to accompany the attacking spearheads for a continued southward advance in the direction of the Caucasus. However on the 24.07.1942 orders came to withdraw the 9. Flak-Division (mot) from the operating area of the 4. Pz.Armee. Generalmajor Pickert thus swiftly intervened to halt the movement of the 9. Flak-Division (mot) over to the Don’s southern bank. He then put his superior leadership skills to work in order to swiftly reorganize the units of the 9. Flak-Division (mot) and transfer them from the 4. Pz.Armee to the area of the 6. Armee. Although the fuel situation remained critical, he and his men were nonetheless able to cover a distance of 300 km within just 3 days. Thus the 9. Flak-Division (mot) was already in action once again on the 26.07.1942, and it was quick to both provide air defense in the Tschernyschewskaja area and decisively intervene in the ground operations of the 6. Armee.

As the 6. Armee fought to secure a crossing over the Don river in the direction of Kalatsch it was vital that the friendly bridgehead across the Tschir river be held during the time period 27.-30.07.1942. This outcome was made possible thanks to the skillful concentration of forces by Generalmajor Pickert. The impressive assembly of two Flak regiments in the Tschir bridgehead under the unified leadership of the commander of Flak-Regiment 91 ensured that a major penetration by strong enemy forces did not result in a breakthrough.

Generalmajor Pickert and the formations of his 9. Flak-Division (mot) subsequently played a leading role during the pocket battle west of Kalatsch during the time period 01.-11.08.1942. In this time Generalmajor Pickert was always able to redirect his Flak forces to those locations where the enemy was likely to attempt a breakout, and thanks to this the hostile breakout attempts were crushed time and again. This successful leadership by Generalmajor Pickert was given its due recognition in the Wehrmachtbericht of the 11.08.1942, which reported on the outstanding share that the Luftwaffe Flak Artillerie had in the encirclement battle west of Kalatsch.

During the attack in the direction of Stalingrad Generalmajor Pickert supported the thrust of the 16. Pz.Div. by assigning a Flak Regiment (Flakrgt.37) to the Division. This deployment of powerful Flak forces to the 16. Pz.Div. resulted in a number of great defensive successes for the Regiment, which in turn facilitated the thrust towards the Volga. The Batterien of the 9. Flak-Division (mot) were the first Flak units to reach the Volga, and they were thus the first artillery to interdict the shipping traffic along the river. The sinking of the first motorized ship on the Volga was reported in the Wehrmachtbericht of the 02.09.1942.

Generalmajor Pickert had the lion’s share of credit for the artillery employment of the Flak Artillerie for the blocking of the Volga, the defense of the blocking positions northwest of the city and the organization of the bombardment of Stalingrad. Throughout this time he was consistently able to conceive of innovative ways to support the units of the Heer. The light Flak forces that Generalmajor Pickert assembled for ground combat would provide decisive support to the Heer as it achieved a penetration in the city (particularly noteworthy was the support these units gave during the capture of the bitterly defended barracks area).

This overview of the operations of the 9. Flak-Division (mot) makes clear that the leadership of Generalmajor Pickert led to great successes by his subordinated Flak Artillerie (see the attachment on confirmed successes), and this resulted in a decisive level of support for the Heer. The superior command of Generalmajor Pickert was in turn made possible because of his outstanding devotion to duty.

Generalmajor Pickert’s commendable conduct is corroborated by subsequent events, which included him being wounded.”

726th Luftwaffe Award.

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Awarded on:

1943

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Awarded on:

April 20th, 1944

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Awarded on:

May 8th, 1944

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

Generalleutnant (Air Vice Marshall)

Unit:

Kommandierender General, III. Flak-Korps, Luftwaffe

Awarded on:

June 5th, 1944

Awarded for his further distinguished command of the 9. Flak-Division in the Kuban bridgehead and the Crimea. Between 8-23.04.1944 his units destroyed 105 enemy aircraft and 82 tanks. Later, on 08.05.1944, it was reported that the Division had destroyed its 1400th aircraft under the leadership of Generalleutnant Pickert.

489th Award.